Why Go: Borneo has symbolized the edge of the Earth at least since Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy included the island in his 150 b.c. Guide to Geography. Some 2,000 years later, it's still hard to find a place further out there than Sabah, Borneo's northern edge. There, at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, guests can witness the island's exotic jungle creatures—specimens like the rare hairy-nosed otter and the endangered orangutan. The lodge's 1,500-foot-long (457-meter) boardwalk (pictured) connects private chalets and includes built-in elephant passes that grant migrating pachyderms free range through the grounds. Our sunset pick: sipping a cold Bintang (Indonesia's national brew) on the river deck while gibbons hoot and hornbills chatter sweet nothings.

Need to Know: Knee-high "leech socks," available locally, will deter the bloodsuckers. Allow two to three days extra to climb the ethereal summit of Sabah's 13,455-foot (4,101-meter) Mount Kinabalu; from its top, the verdant tropical canopy below stretches seamlessly to the Pacific.

Photograph by Albert Teo

Pick up the September 2005 issue for more great adventure travel ideas!